The
Town of Niagara teenager practically hums with excitement as he talks
about his debut race in his own car at Ransomville Speedway.

"Watching
it for so long and finally now to be able to do it - it's pretty
cool," he said. "I mean, to be on the same track that some of the
pros have been on, and my dad, and to be doing it at my age. ..."

The
10th-grader's teachers at Niagara-Wheatfield High School just
notified his dad on Tuesday that Zach's grades had improved, a
parental requirement for a green flag on racing. One teacher
commented, "I guess he REALLY wants to race on Friday!"

Zach
does have engines and racing in his blood. His dad, Mike Nash,
co-owner of Richards Motor Service on Sweet Home Road, has raced on a
dirt track at Ransomville and on asphalt at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in
Lancaster. Zach was always there to watch his hero, first as a
spectator, then as soon as he was old enough, part of the pit crew.
He even took the wheel of a car at Ransomville's annual Jan. 1
Hangover race at the age of 13. Zach's grandfather Carl, a
dealership mechanic, was a drag racer in the '60s, and Zach's
great-grandfather ran a used car lot.

"I
learned from the best," said Zach, explaining, "I'd rather just
be in the shop with dad, working on cars. Putting an engine together
comes easy to me, but I can't write an essay."

Even
though his grades might not always be the best, Zach is a hard
worker. He holds down two part-time jobs, one as a cook at St.
Angelo's Pizza and the other as a dishwasher at Honey's.

So
is a career as an auto mechanic and racer in his future? "Oh,
yeah," breathes Zach flashing a grin. He is looking forward to
attending the BOCES auto mechanic program during his next two years
of high school. He dreams of some day running his own shop.

Although
Mike Nash admits he didn't like school either back in the '80s,
he had to go and get good grades. The lure of racing was half the
battle in getting Zach to want to learn, he said.

Plus,
if Zach keeps his grades up, his parents will allow him to get his
driver's license - something that's not required at the track.

Meanwhile,
there's the summer ahead racing in the four-cylinder class with
24z, the 2002 silver gray Chevy Cavalier provided by a friend of
Mike's at a junkyard.

There's
plenty of race fans, drivers and owners willing to help the fledgling
racer on his way.

"Guys
that my dad used to race with are asking about my car and how it's
coming along, and giving me advice," Zach said.

As
a member of the starter class, his pit area will be farthest away
from the track, but the owner of one of the modified cars is allowing
use of his closer pit area if Zach needs quick assistance.

Mike
Nash, who took the Lancaster championship in 2011, is just about as
excited as his son about Friday's race, but says he's not at all
a nervous dad. To make sure the 24z is as safe as possible, he had
Ed's Garage in Youngstown build the roll cage in the car.

"It
was safer. I didn't want to do it myself. ... We did everything the
correct way. We didn't skimp," Mike said.

"My
seat out of my championship car is in this car, the seatbelts are
from my modified, it's my helmet, my shoes, my gloves," Mike
added.

Zach
also will wear his father's old racing suit. "It's shrunken. I
must have washed it in too hot water," Mike jokes.

The
affection and pride between father and son runs both ways.

Zach,
who hopes Mike doesn't really mean it when he says he's retired
from racing, asks that one thing be included in his story - "Just
a huge thanks to dad for getting me the car and the sponsors, and all
the time he put into the car, we both did."